Reading by the light of the moon: the full moon tarot spread

Before I start — Merry Christmas, everyone! I had a wonderful day yesterday; I spent it with my grandparents as well as my tante, the animal-loving media studies professor who gave me the tarot deck that started it all. (Technically I bought the Rider Waite-Smith deck in Singapore years before, but I made my first reading with the Introduction to Tarot kit she gave me a couple of Christmases ago.) I hope yours went wonderfully too!

While the full moon reveals itself every month, last night’s full moon was the first to coincide with Christmas Day since 1977, which makes it especially meaningful! And as Beth has said,

This [the full moon] isn’t about being super proactive — the full moon is a time for reflection, rather than starting new things.

The new moon, where all we see in the night sky is a blank canvas ready to wax…that is the time for beginnings, plannings, new starts and proactivity. So this spread is for the ‘interim report’, half way between one new moon and the next.

Which is why, as the moon reached its fullest at approximately seven in the evening, I prepared a spread that’s fascinated me for a while: the full moon tarot spread.

Listening to the cards: An interview with the Waite-Smith deck

When I woke up this morning and reached for my cards, it took me a moment to realize that I had nothing to ask them.

Yesterday was my day of crisis — or, more accurately, the other day was, and only yesterday did I understand how to deal with it. (I also realize part of the reason I was so cranky may have been that my time of the month had arrived that same day, and god, it’s the most uncomfortable feeling.) Today, however, I woke up feeling, if not refreshed, clear-headed. So what was I supposed to do?

I looked through Beth’s blog posts on spreads to try, looking for something that didn’t require me to have any big question, and found one: a spread for interviewing your deck. I’ve always raised my eyebrows at the idea of interviewing a deck — what does it have to tell you, really? — but considering the fact the Waite-Smith deck is so new, and I’m handling it with kid gloves, maybe this is what I need to make it feel like it’s mine.

The deck interview tarot spread:
1. Tell me about yourself. What is your most important characteristic?
2. What are your strengths as a deck?
3. What are your limits as a deck?
4. What are you here to teach me?
5. How can I best learn and collaborate with you?
6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?

Here goes: